Abstract

Cosmological analysis based on currently available observations are unable to rule out a sizeable coupling among the dark energy and dark matter fluids. We explore a variety of coupled dark matter-dark energy models, which satisfy cosmic microwave background constraints, in light of low redshift and near universe observations. We illustrate the phenomenology of different classes of dark coupling models, paying particular attention in distinguishing between effects that appear only on the expansion history and those that appear in the growth of structure. We find that while a broad class of dark coupling models are effectively models where general relativity (GR) is modified — and thus can be probed by a combination of tests for the expansion history and the growth of structure —, there is a class of dark coupling models where gravity is still GR, but the growth of perturbations is, in principle modified. While this effect is small in the specific models we have considered, one should bear in mind that an inconsistency between reconstructed expansion history and growth may not uniquely indicate deviations from GR. Our low redshift constraints arise from cosmic velocities, redshift space distortions and dark matter abundance in galaxy voids. We find that currentmore » data constrain the dimensionless coupling to be |ξ| < 0.2, but prospects from forthcoming data are for a significant improvement. Future, precise measurements of the Hubble constant, combined with high-precision constraints on the growth of structure, could provide the key to rule out dark coupling models which survive other tests. We shall exploit as well weak equivalence principle violation arguments, which have the potential to highly disfavour a broad family of coupled models.« less

@article{osti_22275438,
title = {Coupled dark matter-dark energy in light of near universe observations},
author = {Honorez, Laura Lopez and Reid, Beth A. and Verde, Licia and Jimenez, Raul and Mena, Olga, E-mail: laura.lopez@uam.es, E-mail: beth.ann.reid@gmail.com, E-mail: omena@ific.uv.es, E-mail: liciaverde@gmail.com, E-mail: raul.jimenez@icc.ub.edu},
abstractNote = {Cosmological analysis based on currently available observations are unable to rule out a sizeable coupling among the dark energy and dark matter fluids. We explore a variety of coupled dark matter-dark energy models, which satisfy cosmic microwave background constraints, in light of low redshift and near universe observations. We illustrate the phenomenology of different classes of dark coupling models, paying particular attention in distinguishing between effects that appear only on the expansion history and those that appear in the growth of structure. We find that while a broad class of dark coupling models are effectively models where general relativity (GR) is modified — and thus can be probed by a combination of tests for the expansion history and the growth of structure —, there is a class of dark coupling models where gravity is still GR, but the growth of perturbations is, in principle modified. While this effect is small in the specific models we have considered, one should bear in mind that an inconsistency between reconstructed expansion history and growth may not uniquely indicate deviations from GR. Our low redshift constraints arise from cosmic velocities, redshift space distortions and dark matter abundance in galaxy voids. We find that current data constrain the dimensionless coupling to be |ξ| < 0.2, but prospects from forthcoming data are for a significant improvement. Future, precise measurements of the Hubble constant, combined with high-precision constraints on the growth of structure, could provide the key to rule out dark coupling models which survive other tests. We shall exploit as well weak equivalence principle violation arguments, which have the potential to highly disfavour a broad family of coupled models.},
doi = {10.1088/1475-7516/2010/09/029},
journal = {Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics},
number = 09,
volume = 2010,
place = {United States},
year = 2010,
month = 9
}

The announcement by BICEP2 of the detection of B-mode polarization consistent with primordial gravitational waves with a tensor-to-scalar ratio, r=0.2{sup +0.07}{sub −0.05}, challenged predictions from most inflationary models of a lower value for r. More recent results by Planck on polarized dust emission show that the observed tensor modes signal is compatible with pure foreground emission. A more significant constraint on r was then obtained by a joint analysis of Planck, BICEP2 and Keck Array data showing an upper limit to the tensor to scalar ratio r≤ 0.12, excluding the case 0r= with low statistical significance. Forthcoming measurements by BICEP3, themore » Keck Array, and other CMB polarization experiments, open the possibility for making the fundamental measurement of r. Here we discuss how r sets the scale for models where the dark matter is created at the inflationary epoch, the generically called super-heavy dark matter models. We also consider the constraints on such scenarios given by recent data from ultrahigh energy cosmic ray observatories which set the limit on super-heavy dark matter particles lifetime. We discuss how super-heavy dark matter can be discovered by a precise measurement of r combined with future observations of ultra high energy cosmic rays.« less

We calculate the relic abundance of mixed axion/neutralino cold dark matter which arises in R-parity conserving supersymmetric (SUSY) models wherein the strong CP problem is solved by the Peccei-Quinn (PQ) mechanism with a concommitant axion/saxion/axino supermultiplet. By numerically solving the coupled Boltzmann equations, we include the combined effects of 1. thermal axino production with cascade decays to a neutralino LSP, 2. thermal saxion production and production via coherent oscillations along with cascade decays and entropy injection, 3. thermal neutralino production and re-annihilation after both axino and saxion decays, 4. gravitino production and decay and 5. axion production both thermally andmore » via oscillations. For SUSY models with too high a standard neutralino thermal abundance, we find the combined effect of SUSY PQ particles is not enough to lower the neutralino abundance down to its measured value, while at the same time respecting bounds on late-decaying neutral particles from BBN. However, models with a standard neutralino underabundance can now be allowed with either neutralino or axion domination of dark matter, and furthermore, these models can allow the PQ breaking scale f{sub a} to be pushed up into the 10{sup 14}−10{sup 15} GeV range, which is where it is typically expected to be in string theory models.« less

Dark matter (DM) with sizeable self-interactions mediated by a light species offers a compelling explanation of the observed galactic substructure; furthermore, the direct coupling between DM and a light particle contributes to the DM annihilation in the early universe. If the DM abundance is due to a dark particle-antiparticle asymmetry, the DM annihilation cross-section can be arbitrarily large, and the coupling of DM to the light species can be significant. We consider the case of asymmetric DM interacting via a light (but not necessarily massless) Abelian gauge vector boson, a dark photon. In the massless dark photon limit, gauge invariancemore » mandates that DM be multicomponent, consisting of positive and negative dark ions of different species which partially bind in neutral dark atoms. We argue that a similar conclusion holds for light dark photons; in particular, we establish that the multi-component and atomic character of DM persists in much of the parameter space where the dark photon is sufficiently light to mediate sizeable DM self-interactions. We discuss the cosmological sequence of events in this scenario, including the dark asymmetry generation, the freeze-out of annihilations, the dark recombination and the phase transition which gives mass to the dark photon. We estimate the effect of self-interactions in DM haloes, taking into account this cosmological history. We place constraints based on the observed ellipticity of large haloes, and identify the regimes where DM self-scattering can affect the dynamics of smaller haloes, bringing theory in better agreement with observations. Moreover, we estimate the cosmological abundance of dark photons in various regimes, and derive pertinent bounds.« less

We consider the prospect of lightest neutralino ({chi}-tilde{sub 1}{sup 0}) as a dark matter candidate in light of recent interesting observations from the XENON100 and CDMS-II experiments in minimal supergravity framework with large tan{beta} and nonvanishing A{sub 0}. Within the WMAP satisfied zone, there is a large direct detection reach of lighter {chi}-tilde{sub 1}{sup 0} in the lighter Higgs boson mediated resonance annihilation domain of the above scenario. It is seen that the heavier Higgs boson plays a dominating role in the {chi}-tilde{sub 1}{sup 0}-p cross section in the associated zone of parameter space in spite of having a largermore » mass. Possible LHC signatures are discussed.« less